Kris Dunn will miss rest of college basketball season

Sophomore Kris Dunn, a McDonald’s All-American guard out of New London High School, will undergo surgery on his right shoulder for the second time in his Providence College basketball career. He’ll be out for the remainder of the season.

Dunn will have the season-ending surgery sometime in the next several weeks, according to Providence College and his father, John Seldon.

He had surgery on the same shoulder in July of 2012, forcing him to miss the first nine games of his freshman season. He appeared in 25 games, averaging 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Dunn reinjured his shoulder chasing down a loose ball in an exhibition game against Rhode Island College on Nov. 2. He sat out three games and attempted to come back, playing four games before heading back to the sidelines. He averaged 3.8 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in limited action.

Seldon said that Dunn was experiencing some pain prior to the Rhode Island College game.

“He played in that game and had pain on that shoulder and rolled on it and made it slide out,” Seldon said. “Doctors looked at it and said fight through the pain or have an operation. Kris wanted to fight through the pain, but it’s not worth it. He’d probably do more damage.

“It’s just a crazy situation.”

Seldon expressed frustration over the way Dunn’s injury situation was handled prior to the latest incident.

“He had the whole summer off and worked out,” Seldon said, referring to last summer. “At some point, he had to be healthy. Somewhere something happened, but it’s basketball.

“… I’m not a doctor and not the coach. I’m just a parent. (Coach Ed Cooley) runs his program the way he runs his program. I’m not mad at the coach.

“… You can call it a fluke accident. I don’t know. I don’t go to practice, so I don’t know what’s going on. It is what it is. … If I’ve got a kid coming off an injury, I’m going to be watching him. The kid came back from a major injury and was healthy. I would try to take care of him.”

Providence will apply for a medical hardship waiver with the Big East. If Dunn receives the waiver, he’ll have three years of eligibility left starting with the 2014-15 season.

“We’re looking forward to assisting Kris as he recovers from his surgery,” Cooley said in a released statement. “His health and well-being are our primary concern. There is no question that he will rebound from this and continue to improve as a basketball player. We are confident that Kris will be a key member of our team in 2014-15.”

Seldon is encouraging his son to focus on his school work.

“He’s doing all right,” Seldon said of Dunn’s state of mind. “He’s just trying to stay to himself right now. It’s a lot for him. … This was a big year for him.”